Because our SCORES off-season is just beginning, I thought it would be appropriate to discuss a highly talked about issue of whether coaches and athletes benefit from an off-season. Responsible Sports, a program which supports volunteer youth coaches and parents, recently published an article on whether parents and coaches should insist on an off-season. They argue that both sides of the debate offer valuabe advice:
"On the side advocating for an off-season are those parents and coaches who point to examples of young athletes suffering burnout, or worse, injury, as a result of too much activity.
On the other side, the argument about avoiding specialization at an early age leads many of us to enroll our kids in many sports as they seek to “sample” what’s out there. And how can you sample and experience new sports, different teams with different teammates and coaches, if you don’t embrace the idea of playing in multiple sports seasons? Add to that, the arguments and very real data that supports everything from better health to better grades to better esteem when kids play sports. If we embrace all of these wonderful outcomes from a youth sports experience, shouldn’t we give our kids the maximum exposure to all of this “goodness”?"
Obviously, this is a debate that will not be soon be solved, but it is good food for thought.
Please enjoy this video from Responsible Sports which talks about the "ELM Tree of Mastery".
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